Celebrating Jewish Traditions at College: A Guide for Parents
Celebrating Jewish Traditions at College: A Guide for Parents
Raising four kids, the years are marked by the predictable cycle of new school shoes, report cards and packing for summer camp. With my first beginning college this week, I’m learning about a new set of dates that rule the calendar. Decision Day. Summer Orientation. Move-in Day. When we turned the car around a few […] Learn More ›
Here’s How to Make Camp Last a Little Bit Longer
Camp is finished. Kids are either back in school, about to start school or telling you that they are bored at home. Everyone misses camp. The good news is that we have five ways to keep the warm fuzzies from Apachi J Camp going for a few more weeks. Cheer on the Home Team […] Learn More ›
Building Friends For Life: A Journey To Cuba
Thank you JCC 20s & 30s for helping me connect with so many interesting individuals with unique points of view. As we sat in a paradiso, toasting each other and having dinner where the Obamas ate, I was struck with a profound sense of purpose to help each individual present at that table— and the […] Learn More ›
Reflections from Maccabi: The Experience of a Lifetime
Written By: Sydney Ignoffo and Becca Goldman 16U Girls basketball participants Landing in Miami this year we had our minds set on a team gold medal. As we approached the Miami Alper JCC, we began to see all the other team delegations and host families. You could feel and hear the excitement in the air […] Learn More ›
How ‘The Goonies’ Inspired Me to Become a Camp Director
That’s right, the 1985 action/comedy The Goonies is (one of) the reasons I am a camp director today. It started a few summers after this classic movie’s release, at the Oakland Piedmont Jewish Community Center in California. I had grown up in the OPJCC summer camp, and now I was a first-year unit head. The […] Learn More ›
Menashe: Sundance Film Festival Breakout Hit Opens in Chicago
As I sat down last week to watch the screening of a film made entirely in Yiddish, set in a secretive, ultra-Orthodox Jewish New York neighborhood, I wasn’t sure what to expect and how (or even if) I would connect with these characters. But moments in, I was curious and fascinated by the script, the […] Learn More ›
Let the Children Play…OUTSIDE!
Look deep, deep into nature and then you will understand everything better. — Albert Einstein Children enjoy the outdoors in all kinds of weather! Of course, we know that fresh air and exercise are good for our bodies, but research is mounting to prove that direct involvement with nature is as important to children as […] Learn More ›
Growing Beyond Yourselfie!
Photos are influential in tween and teen culture. Our campers are growing up in a world where everything is captured as a photo from trying on clothes in a store to what’s on your plate at dinner. Over the past three weeks, 50 campers at Camp Chi have looked through a different lens of photography […] Learn More ›
Working Across Generations
Being in Human Resources for over 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of industries and with all generations that are in the workforce- Millennials, Gen Xers, Baby Boomers, and most recently the Silents (born between 1925 and 1946). Often people comment about how their work ethic differs from others of […] Learn More ›
28 Little Things that are a Big Deal for Campers
The big events at camp are fun, but we think you’ll agree that it is the little things that really make a difference in what makes a camper’s experience so special. Our counselors are experts at doing this so we asked them to tell us their tricks for the trade. Create a secret handshake for […] Learn More ›
JCC Chicago Camps Named BEST Camps by Make it Better Magazine
The votes are in! JCC Chicago J Camps and JCC Camp Chi were named BEST day camps and best overnight camp by Make it Better Magazine in their 2017 Best Of Awards! This is the 2nd win for day camps and the 4th win for Camp Chi. It’s an honor to be included among so […] Learn More ›
Wish I Was at Camp Chi
Guest Blogger Rachel Gold is a committed Camp Chi alumna. She is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in community and nonprofit leadership with a certificate in education. I counted down the days until camp started for 8 summers. I lived for the annual trips to Target and Bed Bath and Beyond to […] Learn More ›
Elaine Frank Apachi is Turning 10!
Turning 10 is an exciting milestone. It’s the birthday celebrated where a child enters The Double Digits Club, and they are so proud! Everyone captures the iconic family photo of a child holding up both hands, eager to show off this exciting birthday. At Elaine Frank Apachi J Camp. we are turning 10 too! In […] Learn More ›
Home is Where the J Is
What does a “J” story look like if you grow up in an area without a JCC? It looks a lot like Hoffman Estates, IL, my hometown—a place not really known as a beacon of Jewish community life. Sure, there was one temple and the token 15 Jewish kids in a high school of 2400. […] Learn More ›
Staff Training’s All-Star Line Up
As JCC Chicago Apachi, Chi and Chavayah camp directors, we sometimes joke that to be successful in our jobs, we need to know a little about everything. We are equal parts social workers, nurses, drum majors, lawyers, plumbers, teachers, referees, guides, artists, gardeners, lifeguards, chefs, parents, carpenters and coaches. In fact, this is true for […] Learn More ›
365+ Days in the USA
A little known fact about Camp Chi: In addition to being an award winning overnight camp, Camp Chi is a bastion of international cultural exchange. This summer staff and campers will come from over 15 different countries, giving our little corner of Wisconsin a diverse, global feel. Having various languages, accents, cultures and ethnicities is […] Learn More ›